Vending machine



June 13, 1933. F. c. CROWE VENDING MACHINE Filed May 1, 1951 2 SheetsSheet 1 gulf. 47' INVENTOR.

44 fiedericlr C C'rowe June 13, 1933.

F. c. CROWE VENDING MACHINE Filed May 1, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TOR C Crow e f M ATTORNEY.

Patented June 13, I933 My inventionrelates to vending machines and more particularly to a slot vending appa-ratus that is adapted for delivering apples, orangesfcandy, lunches and the like when a coin is deposited therein. Certain objects of the invention are to provide a vending machine comprising a pluralityof rotors" each having a multiplicity ofperipheral pockets and adapted for consecutive rotary movement whereby a'very large number of edible commodities may be placed in the machine at one time and vended over a long periodof time thus obviating the necessity of refilling the machine at frequent times. Further objects are to provide a vending machine that is simple in construction, positive and eificient in operation, and which may be manufactured at comparative- 1y small cost.

which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention j consistsof the novel construction, adaptation, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described plished'by devices illustrated in the 'accom panying drawings; wherein: Figure 1 isa View in perspective of the complete machine; Fig. 2 is: view in transverse vertical section of the same showingthe interior mechanism'; r Fig. 3 is a view in longitudinal horizontal Section taken snbstantially'on a broken line 3, 3ofFig.1;Y i

V, Fig. 4;: is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical section showing the coin receiving means and taken on a broken line 4, 4 of Fig. 3-;pand I Fig. .5 is an enlarged view in perspective of the interior mechanism.

Referring to the drawingsthroughout which like; reference numerals indicate like parts, the numeral 5 designates the main housing which'hasa reartop portion 6 and a front portion 7 integral wither fixed thereto. A lid 8 is hingedto the rear:;top portion at 9 and its front end may be locked to said front housing portiona-t 10.". The front end of said 1-150 lid at oneside is provided with a'coin'slot' With the above and other objects in view:

,and claimed. Theseobjects are ac'-com;-

* P lie-1w OFFICE 'rnaimnlexo. ORoWE, or YAKIMA, wasrrmeroiv MACHINE 193i. Serial No. 534,185.

11 and its middle portion is semi-cylindrical and provided with a plurality of glass panels '12 for reasons hereinafter apparent. q

The coin'slot 11 of the lid 8 registers with a slot in the top of a small casing 13 fixed to an interior side of the housing 5 and said small casing has a depending chute 14 whereby a coin passing'therethrough is delivered to a receptacle 15 fixed in the bottom of the housing. A crank handle 16 disposed exteriorly of the housing has its stub end extending into the small casing and a disc 17 is fixed on an-axle which extends through the other side of said small casing. Certain mechanism, with which this present application is not concerned, is. mounted within the small casing and connected to the respective ends of the handle stub and the disc axle. A coin, dropped into said casing,

forms akey or connection between the mech- H anism whereby movement of the handle will cause corresponding movement of the disc and will drop into'thecoin receptacle after its function is performed a A rod 18 is pivoted to the outer edge of the disc 17 and its otherend is pivoted to the depending arm 19 of a pawl member 20 that is revolubly mounted on a shaft 21 which'extends longitudinally of the housing 5 and has its ends journaled in bearings fixed to the sides of' said housing. Said pawl member has a small dog 22- pivoted to its upper end and depressed by a spring 23 into engagement with the teeth of a ratchet 24 that is fixed onsaid shaft. Said pawl has five teeth,

and five fingers 25 are each fixedly secured to said shaft in equal longitudinal spaced relation and'in equal radial spaced relation. In operating the device the handle 16 is raised or turned a small distance in a clockwise direction whereby the small dog will be retracted by theaforesaid disc, rod and pawl member sufliciently to engage the next tooth on the ratchet: Said handle is then turned back to its normal position whereby the aforesaid elements causethe ratchet tomovethe shaft and its fingers in a counter-clockwise direction onefifthof a revolution which is equal to the radial spacing between said 7 fingersand' ratchet teeth-.7 a g Another shaft 26 is disposed adjacent and parallel with the shaft 21 and is mounted below said shaft in bearings 27 fixed to the sides of the housing 5. Five Y-levers 28 are mounted on said shaft in corresponding spaced relation with the fingers 25 and the upperarm of said levers are arranged to be engaged by said fingers. Said Y-levers are each tensioned by a spring 29 connected to a stem portion 30 thereof and connected below to an angle bracket 31 fiXed to the rear housing wall. The lower arm of said levers are each provided with a notch 32 and said springs normally retain said lowerarms up. wardly whereby their notches are held in engagement with pins 33 that are fixed in equal spaced radial relation around one side of rotors 34. Five of such rotors are shown .inithe drawings in keeping with the five teeth of the ratchet 24 and the five fingers fixed to the shaft 21. v I

The rotors 34 are revolubly mounted on a shaft 35 and their bearings are each provided with a projecting hub portion 36 on one side thereof whereby they are retained in proper spaced relation on said shaft. Said shaft is parallel with the shafts 21 and 26 and its ends are mounted in bearings 37 fixed to the sides of the housing 5. A spring 38, coiled upon said shaft and restrained from retractile movement by a pin and washer, bears against the outermost rotor and retains all the rotors in close engagement with the projecting hub portion of each impinging the bearing of the other whereby the pins 33 are always retained in the paths of the fingers 25 and the Y-levers 28. Partitions 39'radially disposed around said rotors provide peripheral pockets 40 wherein the edible commodity is carried and the sides of the rotors are perforated in order to reduce their weight. i

A sheet metal apron 41 extends around the rear and under sides of the rotors 34 and its upper rear edge may be supported by the shaft 21 or other fixed part of the device. The lower forward edge of said apron is provided with a central drop lip 42 slanting forward in a radial direction from the rotors, and inclines 43 slant downwardly from points adjacent each side of the housing 5 or from the outermost rotors to connections with said lip. An ejector member 44 is centrally interposed between said inclinesand its rear slanting edge portion 45 is aligned and in engagement with the lower edge of the. apron lipin the normally closed position. In the closed position the front 46 of said ejector closes a rectangular opening in the front portion 7 of the housing. The

lower edge of the front of said ejector is hinged to said housing at47 and-a hand grasp 48 is provided therefor whereby the ejector "member may be swung outwardly to thedotted positionshown in Fig. 2. A pair of arms 49 are respectively pivoted at 50 to the rear side edges of the ejector and when same is in the outward or open position said arms serve as guards in preventing the vendible articles from rolling or sliding in behind or under the ejector member.

In the operation of my device it will be understood that at each movement forward and backward of the handle 16 the small dog 22 moves the shaft 21 one-fifth of a revolution. The five fingers 25are each adapted to engage the upper arms of the Y-levers 28 in consecutive radial order. Therefore after one of said levers has been depressed by one of said fingers the next Y-lever is correspondso ingly depressedby the next finger in its onefifth revolution. Each one-fifth revolution of, said fingers causes the lower arm of said Y-levers to release its notch 32 from engagement with one of the pins 33 and said fingers '85 move just far enough to engage said pins and carry the rotors 34 around a distance equal to the length of one of its pockets 40. It will thus be apparent that said pockets are brought one after the other into registration ejector to the outward position as hereinbe- '95 fore described.

After the rotors have discharged the contents of their pockets 40, it becomes necessary to refill the machine with the productto be vended. To accomplish same, the stem'portion 30of the Y-lever is grasped and lifted, thereby disengaging the pin 33 from the notch 32. This action allows the rotor to freely'rotate on its shaft 35, and permits the pockets to be refilled as the rotor is revolved 155 around its shaft in a rearward direction.

Wh1le I have herein descrlbed a vending machine having five rotors and five actuating means therefor, it will be understood that any number of such rotors and actuating means may be used as the device is not limited to any specific number ofrotors. It will however be understood that the number of teeth on the ratchet 24 and also the number N of fingers on the shaft 21 and Y-levers on=the shaft 26 must be the same as the number: of rotors used.

Having thus described my invention, it

being understood that minor changes may be resorted to in its construction and ar- 1 rangement without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A vending machine of the type that is .125

operable through the medium of a coin introduced therein and having in combination a housing, a-hinged'lid for the housing, a

rod mounted for reciprocative movement wlthin the housing, the remote end of said 3 rod pivoted to a pawl member, a shaft whereon said pawl is revolubly mounted, a spring depressed dog secured to the pawl, a ratchet fixed on said shaft whereby its teeth are engaged by the dog, a plurality of fingers fixed in equal longitudinal and radial spaced relation on the shaft, a second shaft parallel with the first named shaft, a plurality of Y-levers revolubly mounted on said second shaft with their upper arms arranged to be engaged in severalty by said fingers, the lower arms of said levers having slots therein, a spring connected to each of said levers, a plurality of rotors mounted in spaced relation on a shaft, means for retaining said rotors in spaced relation, a plurality of pins fixed in equal spaced relation concentrically around one side of said rotors, the lever springs adapted to normally retain the lever arm slots in engagement with the pins, a plurality of equally spaced radial partitions secured to the rotors arranged to form a number of pockets in their peripheries that are adapted to retain vendible articles, an apron under the rotors, a central drop lip slanting forward from the lower forward edge of said apron and in a radial direction from the rotors inclines slanting downwardly from each side of the housing to a connection with the side edges of said lip, a pivotally mounted ejector memher in normal cooperative disposition with the lip and arranged to close an opening in the casing, arms pivotally connected to the rear side portions of the ejector, and said arms adapted to prevent vendible articles from gravitating under and behind the ejector while same is in its open and outward position.

tion a casing, a plurality of peripheral pocketed rotors independently and revolubly mounted within the casing, a shaft j ournaled within the casing, a pawl and ratchet mounted on said shaft for rotating the shaft, a rod and lever means connected to the pawl and ratchet means for actuating said pawl and ratchet, a plurality of fingers radially fixed on the shaft, a plurality of Y-levers engaged by the fingers, said Y-levers mounted on a second shaft disposed in parallel relation with the first named shaft, a plurality of pins radially mounted on each of the rotors normally engaged by each of the Y-levers, each rotor consecutively actuated by one of said fingers through its coaction with one of the Y-levers that is in engagement with one of its pins and the number of the fingers and the Y-levers equal to the number of teeth for the ratchet.

4. In a vending machine the combination of a casing, a plurality of peripheral pocketed rotors revolubly mounted within the casing, a shaft having an equal number of fingers disposed in equally spaced radial relation thereon, another shaft having an equal number of Y-levers fixed thereto and engaged in consecutive order by the fingers, a like number of pins radially mounted on each of the rotors and engaged by each of the Y-levers and means for causing the fingers to coact with the Y-levers in consecutive order whereby the rotors are consecutively rotated through an arc equal to the arcuate length of its pockets by the Y-levers coacting with the In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FREDERICK C. CROWE.

2. A vending machine of the type that is operable through the medium of a coin introduced therein and having in combination a casing, a crank handle connected to the casing, a rod operable by the crank handle, lever means connected to the rod, a shaft whereon the lever means is pivotally mounted, a pawl connected to the lever means, a ratchet fixed on the shaft and engaged by the pawl, a plurality of fingers fixed in equal longitudinal and radial spaced relation on the shaft, an equal number of Y-levers mounted on a second shaft adapted to be engaged by the fingers and having a slot therein, a plurality of rotors r-evolubly mounted in spaced relation on a shaft, a plurality of pins equally and concentrically fixed to one side of the rotors, spring means for normally retaining the Y-lever slots in engagement with the pins, a plurality of equally spaced pockets for the periphery of the rotors, a pivotally mounted ejector member, means for guiding vendible articles from the pockets into the ejector, and

means for preventing vendible articles from gravitating under and behind the ejector while in its ejecting position.

3. A vending machine having in combina- 

